Harder for kids to buy M-rated video game than see R-rated movie

The battle over video game legislation is still heating up, but new data from …

With groups like Common Sense Media making news by claiming the majority of parents want certain games controlled by law, it's useful to look at just how well the industry regulates itself. As there are currently no laws against selling M-rated content to minors, the rating system relies on retailer compliance to be effective. What special interest groups may not understand, however, is that everyone from the retailers to the publishers seem to understand that compliance is in everyone's best interest.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board sent over the following information, collected by the Federal Trade Commission, showing how easily children were able to purchase entertainment that's rated either "Mature" for games or "R" for film. Music marked with a warning about explicit content was also included. How did gaming stack up?

Data source: FTC

Compliance with the ratings system is at an all-time high, making video game sales more tightly controlled than theater ticket, DVD, and music sales. It's not a perfect system, as some children were able to purchase the content, but according to this data, it's the most effective system in place in entertainment.

Keep these numbers in mind when someone tells you video games are unregulated, or that retailers and publishers like it when children buy Mature-rated games.